Is anything really invented?

Dustin · December 04, 2014, 10:06:51 PM

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King pesto · December 04, 2014, 10:17:06 PM

Not really much to say here

g💚jira · December 04, 2014, 10:20:29 PM

Quote

In human language we make the distinction because one type of discovery involves much more trial and error as well as imagination than the other and it's practical for us to make the distinction, but in philosophic terms they seem to be one in the same.

Indeed. But if you're willing to go that far you might as well go full nihilist and realize that all language is merely us giving "meaning" to "events" in time too

Kinder Graham · December 04, 2014, 11:31:02 PM

Never heard about a person stumbling upon a natural occurrence of gun powder

Septy · December 05, 2014, 02:09:43 AM

Quote from: Kinder on December 04, 2014, 11:31:02 PM

Never heard about a person stumbling upon a natural occurrence of gun powder

I hear the gunpowder tree is mostly located in Brazil along with the refrigerator and combustion engine tree.

Statefarm · December 05, 2014, 05:52:00 AM

Any non-naturally occurring element.

Epsira · December 05, 2014, 11:29:42 PM

I think you have a point, people who invent things just realize the potential of matter in a particular way.

Realizing matter's possibility isn't really specific to any single person. I think the concept of invention is at least in some way tied to ownership. It's in the language we use, for instance. We commonly say "x invented y," we patent inventions under single individuals names (which works economically, but perhaps presumes too much overall); it seems ingrained into how we think about new things, inventions. Someone can claim right to new ideas even though people can't really own them :\

BaconShelf · December 06, 2014, 04:23:14 AM

Discovery=something that already exists
Invention= you make something new

Mr. Psychologist · December 06, 2014, 07:48:30 AM

All knowledge is already in existence (Praise the Omnissiah) and it is simply humans that discover it.
So nothing can really be invented, just discovered.
And if you try to invent something, that's tech-heresy and contrary to the laws of the mechanicus >____>

Serious reply in here

I don't actually think that ^this is all too wrong, sure you might invent a new way of doing things but that way already existed but it wasn't known to mankind prior to it. Although this seems more like a semantics discussion to me >_>

DAS B00T x2 · December 06, 2014, 07:57:23 AM

Invention is a human construct and relative, much like deliciousness.